Two Brothers
Harry Belafonte Lyrics

Harry Belafonte's song "Two Brothers" is a piece that tells a narrative of two brothers who are divided by the US Civil War. The song's opening phrasing, "Two Brothers on their way, One wore blue and one wore gray," establishes the circumstance of two siblings who find themselves on opposite sides of a political issue that separated the Union from the Confederacy. The lyrics relate how they hear a fife and drum while enlisting to fight in different battles for their two countries.

As the song continues, the singer determines their different qualities. One is gentle and kind, whereas the other is not alluding to the notion that not everybody chose a side based on their personalities. A cannonball, however, could not differentiate between gentle or unkind, according to the song. A cannonball has no regard for who it kills or what loved ones will be affected, regardless of what side of the conflict someone is on.

The song finishes with two girls on the railroad track waiting for a reunion with their loved ones. One wears blue representing the Union, and the other wears black for the Confederacy. It becomes explicit that the war's impact was not confined to the battlefield but that it also touches those left behind. "Two Brothers" acutely captures the human cost of war, specifically how it tears families apart, makes enemies out of siblings, and traumatically impacts everyone caught in the misfortune of the battle.